Chamber convenes leaders to plan for the return of events

It’s been a year without events in Whatcom County.

More than 12 months ago, state and local governments began restricting local business and event operations to slow the spread of COVID-19. Aside from sporadic virtual gatherings, the county event industry has practically ceased to exist.

However, trusting that in-person events would someday return, Guy Occhiogrosso and the Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce have been convening event planners and organizers in an effort to identify challenges and craft a path forward.

“We are really excited about bringing community events back to Whatcom County once it’s safe to do so,” says Occhiogrosso, president/CEO of the Bellingham-based chamber. “Local event organizers and chamber members have a good deal of expertise to share with each other to help return top-quality events to the county.”

The chamber’s current effort continues work started by the Four Points by Sheraton Bellingham Hotel & Conference Center a couple years ago. At that time, Four Points had been trying to make sense of how new state Liquor and Cannabis Board rules applied to local events. In 2019, the chamber ramped up its industry advocacy efforts by contracting with former employee Stephanie Wiley, who now owns Agora Events in Bellingham and is a chamber member, to help.

“The chamber is a connector,” Wiley says. “It’s a great place to go when you are in need of something in the community.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted the focus, with the chamber working not only to clarify event industry regulations but also to unite the community to prepare for the return of such popular events as Ski to Sea, the Fourth of July celebrations, the Ferndale Street Festival, the Razz Fest, the Northwest Washington Fair, Bellingham SeaFeast and many others.

Events like these, which positively impact the county in many ways, take months to put together. In January, the chamber convened 25-or-so event industry stakeholders in Whatcom County to help build a unified plan for hosting community events as soon as local and state health officials say it is safe to do so. The end goals are to build an event resource guide, to serve as a conduit for event-planning information and to help local businesses find others in the county who can help them plan and organize events.

The more the chamber can do now to convene local groups and establish a plan, the better shape Bellingham will be in when events fire up again.

“We are really excited to get back together with our community,” Wiley says. “It’s going to come fast and furious, and we all want to be ready. We’re going to be event planning with precautions, but we still want to get back together soon for community events.”